Making minor mistakes

[Turkishking]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I am making minor errors in Calculus. For instance, we are sketching a polynomial using the first and second derivative. I accidentally put 0 between 1 and 2 on the number line for f ' (x), and I messed up the question.

Maybe I have some sort of test-anxiety? But I don't believe in test anxiety. I feel as if that is some sort of excuse to make up for my mistakes. Do you guys recommend I do more problems? Should I time myself?

 

[HomeSkool]

Maybe I have some sort of test-anxiety?

Maybe. Could also be that you're human and make mistakes.

But I don't believe in test anxiety.

Why not? Test anxiety is a well-documented type of performance anxiety.

I feel as if that is some sort of excuse to make up for my mistakes.

This is a question that can only be answered by deep, honest introspection. Are you making these mistakes because you lack knowledge? Is it because you lack judgment? Do you have a problem with attention to detail? Is it because you're human and need to give yourself an allowance for error? Or is it because you have test anxiety? That's something you'll have to assess on your own, and it's hard because often our mistakes are multifactorial in causation. If you do have some test anxiety, that can be addressed with very simple interventions like cognitive relaxation exercises and beta blockers, and you'd be shooting yourself in the foot to deny a very treatable problem.

 

[Turkishking]

Maybe. Could also be that you're human and make mistakes.


Why not? Test anxiety is a well-documented type of performance anxiety.


This is a question that can only be answered by deep, honest introspection. Are you making these mistakes because you lack knowledge? Is it because you lack judgment? Do you have a problem with attention to detail? Is it because you're human and need to give yourself an allowance for error? Or is it because you have test anxiety? That's something you'll have to assess on your own, and it's hard because often our mistakes are multifactorial in causation. If you do have some test anxiety, that can be addressed with very simple interventions like cognitive relaxation exercises and beta blockers, and you'd be shooting yourself in the foot to deny a very treatable problem.

Maybe I'm misinformed with the idea of test-anxiety. I may just need to reflect more.

 

[Goro]

I am making minor errors in Calculus. For instance, we are sketching a polynomial using the first and second derivative. I accidentally put 0 between 1 and 2 on the number line for f ' (x), and I messed up the question.

Maybe I have some sort of test-anxiety? But I don't believe in test anxiety. I feel as if that is some sort of excuse to make up for my mistakes. Do you guys recommend I do more problems? Should I time myself?

Test taking anxiety is very real. Don't fall into the rabbit hole of thinking real conditions are the result of personal weakness or a loss of face.

Perfectionist tendencies are also real and a negative personality trait as far as med school admissions are concerned.
Measures used by medical students to reduce test anxiety. - PubMed - NCBI
Factors causing exam anxiety in medical students. - PubMed - NCBI
A conceptual view of test anxiety. - PubMed - NCBI
Test-taking performance of high school students with ADHD. - PubMed - NCBI
Test anxiety levels and related factors: students preparing for university exams. - PubMed - NCBI
Strategies for reducing test anxiety and optimizing exam preparation in German university students: a prevention-oriented pilot project of the Univ... - PubMed - NCBI


This is the weirdest thing I have ever read about:
Writing about testing worries boosts exam performance in the classroom. - PubMed - NCBI